According to The Princeton Review, Whitman College is one of the 353 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada. Schools were chosen based on a survey of hundreds of colleges about their institution's sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. Learn more about the survey at the Princeton Review site and more about Whitman's commitment to sustainability on our Campus Sustainability pages.

2014 Rankings

Whitman College has fared exceptionally well in recent rankings.

"Kiplinger" names Whitman a Best Value College

Whitman College is ranked 29 in "Kiplinger's" list of Best Values in Liberal Arts Colleges and is ranked 51 among all colleges. The rankings are based on a number of factors, including admission rate, the percentage of students who return for sophomore year, the student to faculty ratio and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include sticker prices, financial aid and average debt at graduation.

Whitman College up four spots in "U.S. News" 2015 rankings

According to "U.S. News and World Report's" 2015 college rankings, Whitman College is the 37th best liberal arts college in the country. Whitman has risen four spots since last year's rankings and six spots in the past two years. This year's ranking was created based on data from almost 1,800 colleges and universities, including graduation rates and freshmen retention rates, categories in which Whitman scores highly. The college scored a 94 percent average freshman retention rate, while the actual graduation rate for the class of 2013 was 88 percent, 3 percent higher than the expected rate. "U.S. News" also highlighted the student to faculty ratio of 9:1 and the fact that 66.4 percent of Whitman classes have fewer than 20 students.

Whitman a top liberal arts college according to "Washington Monthly"

According to the 2014 "Washington Monthly" college rankings, Whitman College is the 29th best liberal arts college in the country. Schools are rated based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs) and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).

Forbes ranked Whitman College 47th in its overall list of America's Top Colleges, 39th in private colleges, and 8th in the west in its 2014 survey. The survey in done in partnership with The Center for College Affordability, and uses factors such as student satisfaction, post-graduate success, graduation rate, and academic success.

According to The Princeton Review, Whitman College is one of the 332 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada. Schools were chosen based on a survey of hundreds of colleges about their institution's sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. Learn more about the survey at the Princeton Review site and more about Whitman's commitment to sustainability on our Campus Sustainability pages.

The Princeton Review's 2014 Best Value Colleges list

Whitman College was recently named to the Princeton Review's Best Value Colleges list. The list includes the 150 undergraduate schools that provide the best value based on institutional and student surveys and "more than 30 data points covering academics, costs and financial aid".

The magazine Business Insider ranked Whitman No. 3 in Best College Campuses. Business Insider used rankings from The Princeton Review’s “The Best 378 Colleges: 2014 Edition” regarding architecture, services and facilities to form its Best College Campuses list.

The Princeton Review's Best 378 Colleges: 2014 Edition

Whitman College made significant leaps in The Princeton Review’s rankings this year. Whitman is ranked in the top 20 in 10 categories – making Whitman one of the most frequently cited institutions in the Princeton Review. In the “Their Students Love These Colleges” category, Whitman is ranked No. 4, up from No. 12. In “Best Health Services,” the college moved into the No. 5 position from No. 11 last year. In the “Best Quality of Life” category, Whitman broke into the top 10, moving from No. 15 to No. 10. The College is back on the “Happiest Students” list this year at No. 13.

Only top-20 rankings are released by The Princeton Review. Whitman College’s other 2014 top-20 rankings, along with the college’s 2013 top-20 rankings, are as follows:

Best Classroom Experience – No. 7

Happiest Students – No. 13

Everybody Plays Intramural Sports - No. 5. 2013 ranking - No. 15.

Their Students Love These Colleges - No. 4 2013 ranking - No. 12.

Best Health Services - No. 5 2013 ranking - No. 11.

Easiest Campus To Get Around - No. 6 2013 ranking - Below top 20

Best Quality Of Life - No. 10 2013 ranking - No. 15.

Professors Get High Marks - No. 16 2013 ranking - No. 18.

Most Accessible Professors - No. 17 2013 ranking - No. 20.

Best College Library - No. 9 2013 ranking - Below top 20

Niche names Whitman at top college nationally

Whitman College was ranked 70th in Niche's list of Best Overall Colleges, which ranks 892 colleges based on more than 50 statistics and nearly 12 million student opinions from 300,000 students. A high ranking indicates that the college is an exceptional academic institution that attracts a diverse set of high-achieving students and faculty, the college is affordable, and the students are very happy with their college experience.

Whitman received an overall "A" grade based on the factors Niche uses to rank colleges nationally.

2013 Rankings

Washington Monthly College Guide

Whitman College rises 11 spots in Washington Monthly College Guide’s rankings. Washington Monthly ranks colleges and universities according to how much they benefit the country. They are judged on how well they perform as engines of social mobility, how well they foster scientific and humanistic research, and how well they promotes an ethic of service to country. Whitman was ranked 19th among all liberal arts colleges; the college was No. 30 last year.

In the category that ranks schools according to how well they foster scientific and humanistic research, Whitman is ranked No. 21; that’s up from No. 28 in 2012.

For service to community, Whitman is ranked No. 18; that’s up from No. 26 in 2012.

Whitman was ranked No. 27 among all liberal arts colleges in the nation, up from No. 29 in 2012.

Among the 650 schools in the list, Whitman ranked No. 36 in terms of the number of students who go on to receive Ph.Ds.

Forbes College Financial Grades

In the Aug. 13, 2013, issue of Forbes, Whitman was ranked No. 51 among 925 private, nonprofit colleges and universities graded on financial stability. The college received a GPA of 4.341; the maximum GPA was 4.5. The schools were graded based on nine variables to determine financial strength and operational soundness.

Kiplinger

"Kiplinger's Personal Finance" has ranked Whitman College No. 34 as one of the best value private colleges in the country.

"Kiplinger's" annual list ranks 100 private universities and 100 liberal arts colleges. The top 50 colleges and top 50 universities appear in "Kiplinger's" December issue. Whitman College and the other schools included in the 2014 lists represent the colleges that provide a high-quality academic education at a reasonable cost during continued tough economic times. Whitman has been ranked multiple times for exemplifying the attributes parents and students look for in higher education, including small class sizes, a good freshman retention rate and a high four-year graduation rate.Read more»

The Active Times

According to “The Active Times,” Whitman is the fifth fittest college in the U.S., one of only eight liberal arts colleges to make the list.

“The Active Times’” list of the 50 fittest colleges was compiled based on several criteria, including the quality of athletic facilities, participation in team sports, the quality of campus food services and the overall healthiness of student life. The colleges that made the cut have a strong focus on keeping students active, promoting athletics and providing healthy dining options.

U.S. News and World Report

U.S. News and World Report gives Whitman College an overall ranking of 41 among the nation’s liberal arts colleges.